EU Stumbles on Buying Microsoft Alternatives

(1 reply) #1 GreyWolfSC on 18 Jun 2008 - 13:12

They should open an investigation and sue themselves.

#1.1 cycro on 18 Jun 2008 - 13:18

And then fine themselves and give the money to finance Linux development.

(9 replies) #2 neufuse on 18 Jun 2008 - 13:36

I never understood how is going to open source only promoting competition? Did they talk to IBM first? Did they talk to Sun? or did they just go open source? wow that is competition!.... I really hate how everyone looks at open source as the only "competition" out there... there are lots of other big companies that would love to compete with MS on a bigger scale like IBM and Sun... or heck companies that no one ever heard of before that are trying to start out or grow!

#2.1 ichi on 18 Jun 2008 - 14:53

You are confusing open standards with open source. The EC was talking about the former, which includes both open and proprietary software, just not products such as most (if not all) from MS and the likes.

#2.2 neufuse on 18 Jun 2008 - 14:57

(ichi said @ #2.1)

You are confusing open standards with open source. The EC was talking about the former, which includes both open and proprietary software, just not products such as most (if not all) from MS and the likes.

I'm not talking about open standards at all, I don't get where you got that idea from. I am talking about open source as it says in the first line "The European Commission is still choosing Microsoft over open source"

#2.3 ichi on 18 Jun 2008 - 15:07

(neufuse said @ #2.2)

(ichi said @ #2.1)

You are confusing open standards with open source. The EC was talking about the former, which includes both open and proprietary software, just not products such as most (if not all) from MS and the likes.

I'm not talking about open standards at all, I don't get where you got that idea from. I am talking about open source as it says in the first line "The European Commission is still choosing Microsoft over open source"

Then it's eWeek who didn't get it.

#2.4 markjensen on 18 Jun 2008 - 15:52

(ichi said @ #2.3)

Then it's eWeek who didn't get it.

Agreed.

The article states:

The European Union executive has so far not followed its own policy that it purchase office software and operating systems with open standards as well as Microsoft products.

And the ability to adhere to open standards are much more important than whether the source is "open" or not. They are confusing standards compliance with software development models (which should be irrelevant in this case).

#2.5 GP007 on 18 Jun 2008 - 18:41

(markjensen said @ #2.4)

(ichi said @ #2.3)

Then it's eWeek who didn't get it.

Agreed.

The article states:

The European Union executive has so far not followed its own policy that it purchase office software and operating systems with open standards as well as Microsoft products.

And the ability to adhere to open standards are much more important than whether the source is "open" or not. They are confusing standards compliance with software development models (which should be irrelevant in this case).

Well, isn't this pointless anyways? Office 2k7 lets you work with ODF now with the add-on that's been out for quite a while. Same with PDF, so you can do that. And then the next version of Office will support both natively without the need of a add-on/plug-in.

When MS's own apps support "open standards" like everyone is moaning about, then what will the argument be? Cost? Gov gets a huge price cut on MS software from what I remember. They're not paying retail price of it if that's what everyone thinks.

#2.6 markjensen on 18 Jun 2008 - 19:51

(GP007 said @ #2.5)

Well, isn't this pointless anyways?
...

Not "pointless" at all! It was very much the point, and a few years ago, Microsoft announced that they would not support ODF. And that is part of what drove this EU direction. Once the consequences were announced, Microsoft started to push to include support for the ODF standard.

It wasn't in their development plan. Consequences were announced. Now it is.

Some mules go because you dangle a carrot in front of them. Some don't move until you beat them with a stick.

#2.7 GP007 on 18 Jun 2008 - 20:58

(markjensen said @ #2.6)

(GP007 said @ #2.5)

Well, isn't this pointless anyways?
...

Not "pointless" at all! It was very much the point, and a few years ago, Microsoft announced that they would not support ODF. And that is part of what drove this EU direction. Once the consequences were announced, Microsoft started to push to include support for the ODF standard.

It wasn't in their development plan. Consequences were announced. Now it is.

Some mules go because you dangle a carrot in front of them. Some don't move until you beat them with a stick.

I mean pointless "now". In the context of the article above and so forth.

#2.8 ichi on 18 Jun 2008 - 21:15

(GP007 said @ #2.7)

I mean pointless "now". In the context of the article above and so forth.

Why? It isn't all about office.

(GP007 said @ #2.7)

When MS's own apps support "open standards" like everyone is moaning about, then what will the argument be?

When MS's apps support open standards there would be no need for argument, it won't matter what app you use since they should be all fairly compatible.

Last edited by ichi on 18 Jun 2008 - 21:22

#2.9 markjensen on 18 Jun 2008 - 21:28

(GP007 said @ #2.7)

I mean pointless "now". In the context of the article above and so forth.

Yes, pointless now. But it was an issue.

Making an issue of it now is silly. As I mentioned earlier, as long as the app supports standards, it doesn't matter if it was developed under one method or another (open source vs. proprietary)

(1 reply) #3 jwjw1 on 18 Jun 2008 - 13:46

sounds like a sequel to 'Dumb and Dumber'

#3.1 El Sid on 18 Jun 2008 - 17:44

Dumb and Dumberer?

(4 replies) #4 z0phi3l on 18 Jun 2008 - 14:30

Just more proof that they are just harassing American companies and not actually out to make sure there's "competition", just another Big Government money grab because they can

#4.1 C_Guy on 18 Jun 2008 - 15:02

Ha ha ha, I hope you're talking to a mirror because the EU has demonstrated many times that it cares about one thing only and that is it's own pockets. They hide behind the lie of "protecting the consumer" so they can drain funds from American corporations and keep it for themselves. It's sick. Like GreyWolf said, they should be sued.

#4.2 theyarecomingforyou on 18 Jun 2008 - 17:54

(C_Guy said @ #4.2)

They hide behind the lie of "protecting the consumer" so they can drain funds from American corporations and keep it for themselves.

Yawn.

#4.3 C_Guy on 18 Jun 2008 - 21:47

As always, a great contribution to the discussion. Was there a point to your yawn or are you just unable to comprehend what's really going on?

#4.4 jwjw1 on 18 Jun 2008 - 22:17

yes..even the Irish figured that out......

#5 JamesWeb on 18 Jun 2008 - 14:57

Well good. Is anyone else thinking good?

#6 daniel_rh on 18 Jun 2008 - 16:42

Well, Microsoft is taking back some of the lost money by the antitrust rule

(1 reply) #7 HalcyonX12 on 18 Jun 2008 - 18:40

Anyone know the logistics of migrating the EU's systems over to something other than MS?

#7.1 toadeater on 20 Jun 2008 - 05:31

(HalcyonX12 said @ #7)

Anyone know the logistics of migrating the EU's systems over to something other than MS?

For EU bureaucrats, anything is difficult.

(1 reply) #8 EduardValencia on 18 Jun 2008 - 18:40

lol it's funny because the european commision is the one who is giving fine's to microsoft and encouraging people to move away to other platforms.

pwned!

#8.1 ichi on 18 Jun 2008 - 19:57

And as a result of the EU pressure now MSOffice supports ODF.

pwned indeed, but maybe not in the way you think

#9 plastikaa on 18 Jun 2008 - 22:57

If the EU wants to promote competiton... Microsoft could encourage the EU to use alteratives by charging the Eurepean commision more to buy Microsoft products

#10 mocax on 19 Jun 2008 - 01:35

wouldn't forcing people to use non-microsoft products be anti-competitive too?

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